Quote from TheGnome5786 >>

We can find native writers from all those areas.

We can skip past religion in those areas.

All of those areas have what they consider ancient myths. Myths that would or could be acceptable in D&D.

 Many times, you're going to find those "myths" are still active elements of the modern culture.

We may agree family-friendly franchises should be ideologically neutral, but sadly speculative fiction may be affected by serious conflicts from the real life. For example Games Workshop can't sell now miniatures of Kiev, one of the nations from the old Warhammer because there is a war in East Europe. 

Today only crunch would need to be updated to 5ed, the factions and the lore from previous editons don't need it. The ki-rin has been updated to 5ed, and we know it is a mythologic creature from far Asia. The subclasses could be updated but WotC would rather these can be used in all type of settings and not only within certain subgenre.

And WotC follows a special way to design the PC species in 5e. If the spiritfolk, hengeyokai, vanara and korokoburu are updated, WotC wants to know the feedback by the players, and the PC species can't be only reskins by others. Spiritfolk need practical and interesting racial traits, the shapeshifting trait by the hengeyokai needs to be balanced, and maybe they will be renamed. Korobokuru can't be only dwarf or gnomes with a different hat. Maybe nezumi, the ratfolk, are renamed tari, one of the original species from Dark Sun. Maybe new dragonborn subraces about lungs would need to be created before to be done by 3PPs. 

Here my weak point is we don't know enoughly the different points of view from the Asian community. Something could be right for Taiwan players but censored by China. Hasbro has got its own experience in the Asian markets and it may knows them better than us. 

Any other option? Asian publisers in D&Dbeyond. 

[Redacted]

* If we wanted new "settings" we don't need to pay money when we can read the fandom wikis about isekai IPs.

Please let's not ever use "Oriental" again. As an Asian American it's a very uncomfortable term. I'm all for including inspiration from various cultures, but on the other hand I also don't want my culture to be exotified. More books like Journeys from the Radiant Citadel would be nice.

Quote from Wi1dBi11 >>

Both Kara Tur and Zakhara were early attempts to expand d&d past its European ethos base. They were nteresting but , sadly, never developed enough of a following to really be profitable so TSR/WOtC fairly quickly lost interest in maintaining them. I doubt we will ever see either one resurrected as a product  yes, both are technically part of Faerun today but that was mostly a 3e  “solution” to what to do with them for those that had them and wanted to use them.

 
I really liked Both Kara Tur, Zakhara and especially Maztica, all great supplements.  I actually prefer my worlds without the European ethos, I find it pushes the players to discover the setting more and assume less.  I created a setting called Dusk Haven where the major civilizations and empires are Dragonborn and Elves and the human empire is Aztec-based (based on the Maztica supplement).  Players become more interested in learning about the history and lore of the world because you don't have these presumed European assumptions of the "default" D&D game.  It's fun to see it play out.

I would love to see DND Beyond have tools for creating setting-specific campaigns and have the concept of a campaign be more of a creation tool for story writing and sharing rather than just a mechanical construct meaning "online game".  Something along the lines of World Anvil.

So, first, I have to note that I love it when there are non-Western themes and designs and folkways and elements that suggest something doesn't have to be drawn from Western European Standard Tropes.

I do not love it when there is a "This is my fantasy version of what I think of as Asia." The concept of Asia is a really, really big place, as is the concept of Africa, the concept of Mesoamerica, the concept of South America, etc. If I see someone drawing from Igbo, Hausa, and Kanuri, I feel a lot more comfortable when they start pulling in the usual Yoruba, Bantu, or Khoisan stuff that is fairly common to see. Because that tells me that they have looked at least a tad bit deeper than pretty much all the norms folks did in the 80's and 90's.

When I see folks taking elements of Haida, Lakota, Hopi, Choctaw, and Taino peoples and saying something to the effect of "These are my Indians", I am disappointed. I will note, as well, that this was done by OA.

I have an abiding love for the 1st Edition OA, and it is not because of the reasons folks might expect. I do love the mechanics introduced (the fighting styles and the NWPs that were the first time skills outside of Thieves' entered the game, etc.), but the heart of why I love it is that all the other stuff that came later, came about because this book shows you how to create a world that is not your bog standard, Pseudo-Medieval, Westernized Fantasy with guest stars from Foreign Lands no one ever visits.

Those mechanics, though, are part of the worldbuilding, and created a strong sense of how that world operated, how the people in that world engaged with each other, how the broader systems and tools functioned. As a whole, it was amazing, and I have taken lessons from it for all of the few dozen worlds I have created int he years since -- but I'm a worldbuilder at heart, that's what drew me to the game.

As a tool, DDB is still, really, in its infancy. It is behind other such tools, and it does lack some key things that need to be determined in some way --  creating gear and equipment, creating classes (not subclasses, but classes), creating Weapon Masteries, and other tricks.

Doing that would go a long way towards enabling that kind of community driven, community vetted type of creation. I would love to create a Storyteller class, because there is a long tradition of what folks often call a Shaman (which is a name for a very specific kind of hly person in a culture that has a way of seeing magic utterly alien to the base D&D set up) because until the 2010's, really everyone called them that (and these days it is considered poor form, professionally, and that's being mild).

This is an entire group of archetypes found among many, many different groups of people that combine aspects of the Bard, the Cleric, the Druid, and the Sorcerer (and some swap one of those out for the Warlock). People from cultures and histories where these folks are normative and common don't have a choice or them, because the game as a whole makes it so you cannot create one without breaking a lot of rules. Even as Homebrew. And this is a key part of the challenge when it comes to dealing with non-Western cultures -- D&D's magic system is very, very very much a product of western cultural origins.  Always has been -- and that means there's a hard place that one cannot readily go.

OA dealt with that in part. Again, that was one of the things I liked about it. When I came to 5e for the first time, I was sorely heartbroken that some of the amazing classes from the OA, Maztica, Al Qadim, and the like were left out -- while some that had been so utterly westernized as to be barely recognizable did make it in -- Monk, Ninja, Kensei, Samurai. Popularity of Western Audiences holds true.

A funny thing happened with the 2024 rule books -- they inadvertently made it possible in the rules to have the Loa and the Kami be present. An Animist class is closer than ever because of that change to the way that summoning spells work.

That would alter the game, though, in some significant ways -- and be of ongoing excitement to many -- but as we have seen here, it would not mesh well with the majority who think of western archetypes as primal and find those outside it often offensive or have an interest in demeaning them.

While the old stuff would nee a massive amount of work to update them, and to drop a lot of the nastier stuff, it could be done -- but the ROI on that isn't going to be all that great, to be frank, and so the weight of that falls to the community, which -- in order to use DDB for that basis --will need to have new tools made available.

OP wanted to add in some equipment -- there's little reason to not add such as homebrew. it is less difficult to re-skin an existing weapon now, after all, with weapon masteries (though I would like to see an "unseat").  But we can't do that. I suspect that down the road that will be coming. If for no other reason than the underlying ethos of the game still leans most heavily in favor of original creations; the tools, by the sheer weight of cost to do so, will always start at the most common denominator and then work out until the ROI is lost. 

in the interim, mixed folks like me will create the worlds and the systems and he tools to enable us to enjoy the game -- and will use DDB for only the basics of looking up rules and writing long ass forum posts.

Because the rest of it is ultimately useless to us.

Quote from Wi1dBi11 >>

Both Kara Tur and Zakhara were early attempts to expand d&d past its European ethos base. They were interesting but , sadly, never developed enough of a following to really be profitable so TSR/WOtC fairly quickly lost interest in maintaining them. I doubt we will ever see either one resurrected as a product  yes, both are technically part of Faerun today but that was mostly a 3e  “solution” to what to do with them for those that had them and wanted to use them.

 Third party publishers could make a profit and pay royalties to WotC, but they have been very resistant to such ideas in 5e. They waited until the final year of 5e to publish a few of the most popular 3rd party content for 5e on DDB. Hopefully those publications have been such a cash cow that WotC will embrace more third party content. For all the complaints about WotC being "greedy", they could make so much money selling D&D licensed toys, games, and other stuff. The financial success of "Legend of Vox Machina" proves that there has been a market for low cost D&D anime, just as I have been saying for decades. But WotC only tries for the expensive live action movies that can't possibly provide the special effects of a D&D story.

Hopefully we will see better decision making in the future. I want to spend more money on D&D stuff, but the only people selling it are breaking the law.

How about just allowing more voices of creators be heard? How about just being able to reach people who are not a historically uplifted demographic?

Like Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, for example. Let's not talk about the possibility of content that celebrates the culture of people of color as if it hasn't happened, because it has. And let's also not say "Western" culture when we really just mean one particular demographic. There are plenty of people of color with cultures rarely celebrated in media that live in the Western world as well.

---

As for adapting OA to 5E, I think a lot of it is pretty simple flavoring. Wuxia, a popular Chinese fantasy genre, is one of the suggested genres in the 2014 DMG, after all. I would love if the "how to adapt 5E to different genres" section of the new DMG got some love and gave us some good tips on how to flavor our games.

You know what would be a neat exercise? Translating D&D classes into their wuxia equivalents. Now I'm talking specifically wuxia here, I'm not trying to do a pan-Asian translation.

Artificers would be those people who practice their cultivation through their craft. Or perhaps those lower cultivation warriors who collect talismans and potions to supplement their fighting.
Barbarians would be those who cultivate styles that are bestial or more terrestrial, rather than very esoteric.
Bards feel like they would take the role of either the entertainers with secret cultivation or maybe the super esoteric styles of cultivation that would allow fighting with music and instruments, a la Kung Fu hustle or The Untamed.
Clerics are interesting because the healers in wuxia are usually separate from the characters who invoke the gods, but there is room for both. Qi healing is very common in wuxia. As for invoking the gods as 2024 Clerics can do by default at a certain level, both Imperial Sages calling on the Heavenly bureaucracy as well as Taoist sorcerers do some of that.
Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcerers, Druids for that matter are kind of all there but not as distinct from one another. Just swap wands and component pouches for ceremonial swords and paper talismans and you basically have wuxia versions of all the full casters.
Fighters would probably be your stock standard soldier types that exist in wuxia. Martial artists, but not really cultivators.
Rogues would probably be your sneaky underhanded trope like Jade Fox from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They might have some cultivation, but it might be considered stolen, or perhaps they are from hidden sects that are not considered of good standing.
Paladins I think would actually be very very rare. I think you can find their like in wuxia, but it's only ever super important culture heroes like Lu Bu who are towering examples of culture virtues that they inspire those around them to heroics.
Rangers I think would be kind of almost the same trope as Rogues except less dishonorable and more just loners by choice. Usually the trope would be a former cultivator or soldier who has decided to just live away from the politics and has a lot of practical skills but isn't aiming for the martial peak.
Monks would be the folk who actually are members of the respectable cultivator sects. Those who are aiming for the martial peak.

Quote from Ophidimancer >>

You know what would be a neat exercise? Translating D&D classes into their wuxia equivalents. Now I'm talking specifically wuxia here, I'm not trying to do a pan-Asian translation.

Artificers would be those people who practice their cultivation through their craft. Or perhaps those lower cultivation warriors who collect talismans and potions to supplement their fighting.
Barbarians would be those who cultivate styles that are bestial or more terrestrial, rather than very esoteric.
Bards feel like they would take the role of either the entertainers with secret cultivation or maybe the super esoteric styles of cultivation that would allow fighting with music and instruments, a la Kung Fu hustle or The Untamed.
Clerics are interesting because the healers in wuxia are usually separate from the characters who invoke the gods, but there is room for both. Qi healing is very common in wuxia. As for invoking the gods as 2024 Clerics can do by default at a certain level, both Imperial Sages calling on the Heavenly bureaucracy as well as Taoist sorcerers do some of that.
Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcerers, Druids for that matter are kind of all there but not as distinct from one another. Just swap wands and component pouches for ceremonial swords and paper talismans and you basically have wuxia versions of all the full casters.
Fighters would probably be your stock standard soldier types that exist in wuxia. Martial artists, but not really cultivators.
Rogues would probably be your sneaky underhanded trope like Jade Fox from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They might have some cultivation, but it might be considered stolen, or perhaps they are from hidden sects that are not considered of good standing.
Paladins I think would actually be very very rare. I think you can find their like in wuxia, but it's only ever super important culture heroes like Lu Bu who are towering examples of culture virtues that they inspire those around them to heroics.
Rangers I think would be kind of almost the same trope as Rogues except less dishonorable and more just loners by choice. Usually the trope would be a former cultivator or soldier who has decided to just live away from the politics and has a lot of practical skills but isn't aiming for the martial peak.
Monks would be the folk who actually are members of the respectable cultivator sects. Those who are aiming for the martial peak.

 

 
So, I want to pause you for a moment as you head down this path. Only to demonstrate something, and not as a personal attack or denigration.

Take a look at how the approach used went: Something from one culture was taken, and made it try to fit another culture. 

This may not be how you saw it. This is the most common way to do this, and doing so is not a uniquely western thing. But let me describe why. 

At the very center of all of this lies the concept of Archetypes. There are only three "universal archetypes" in this sense of the concept: Outcast, Warrior, and Magic-User.

Note that to any of them, you can attach any kind of cultural variety you would like. It is Magic-User, no Wizard or Cleric, because depending on the culture and the way they see magic, there may be no division between religion and magic, o there may be a division and that exists along lines of morality. It is Outcast, not Rogue, because the way that western cultures perceive the rogue is not the same way that other cultures perceive the rogue.

Next, note how although you framed it within Wuxia and took that as your premise, you attached to all of them some aspect of Wuxia martial artistry. That, in and of itself, is a very Western take. There are performers in Wuxia who are not trained in martial arts at all.  There are Outcasts in Wuxia who do not have any kind of martial artistry. It is, to be blunt, making Everyone Kung-Fu Fighting.  This is especially key when you step into the area of Magic-Users in Wuxia -- they, too, are not always martial artists -- technically, they are usually the problem, but that's a different subject. And there are several very distinct types of them in Wuxia films (seven according to some sources, thirteen according to others). Each of them has a distinct degree of cultural importance, as well, even among modern and ex-patriate audiences.

So one cannot just blend them all together and be culturally honest -- but in Western eyes, which will always try to make it fit what they know and are familiar with, they do tend to blend into one because we re-frame it from our own cultural experiences. We already knee-jerk that when it comes to the Wuxing. Which are part of the core concepts around, well, Wuxia. And that system is utterly alien to the similar concept credited to Empedocles in the West of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. D&D does it, right now, with the Four Elements Monk, which is as Westernized as it gets. How many folks do you know realize that a Wuxia Five Elements Monk would not be using fire and water and earth and air because the way that this game structures Elements is not even remotely in the same vein as how Wuxing deals with them?

In a sense, it is like saying that everyone in Bollywood films is a Dance Bard. Because so many people get up and sing and dance and it is central to the story -- but you could say the same thing if you were not Western about every Rodgers & Hammerstein musical.   

Now, let's say that you did that for your table and your players loved it and they were totally down with it and everything was good. This would probably not be an issue.

Hasbro does it, and now we have some serious problems -- some of which have nothing to do with the game itself at all. When you do it at your table, where yo are small and not based in creating a game that meets the needs of a broad population numbersing in the tens of millions, you don't have an impact on anyone beyond your close circle.

When Hasbo does it, they hit everyone.  It is the difference between Close Friends and Mixed Company, between "Locker Room" and "On The Street". Hasbro doesn't get to escape because hey are always operating in mixed company.

So, they have to walk more carefully. They have to take the time to study and know why there is a difference in those tings, and avoid the act of making those cultures fit into a western model -- they have to make all new classes, all new baselines for these things, because that's the only way you will ever see it work. These things are nto the same as their Western Counterparts.

And once you step outside the Warrior and the Outcast, it can only get complex and complicated.

But...

(and here's the part where it all ties into 5e)

It *can* be done. Not even very hard, really -- the reason we have the classes and use the archetypes we do is that Gygax was steeped in and studied classical wargaming and the famous myths and legends; he had a lot of stuff, even when he wasn't right or clear on it.  The same thing can happen for all these different cultural takes -- and no, not all of them will be successful (lookin at you Namor), even with serious input from those peoples. Because none of those peoples are a monolih, and no matter what it will still end up being filtered through the Western folks that are in charge of the game as a whole.

The player base needs to be prepared for that, though -- really hard to play a build you've dreamed up from the core classes when none of them are present in a different setting's cultural distinct world.

Because the Archetypes have to come from the world itself -- if the world is a western cultural basis, then the standard ones work fine. If it is from a different cultural basis, then all knew ones need to exist (see Humblewood, see OA, see Al Qadim).

But, as I noted previously, the ROI is, right now, not lookin like there is value in it. Also, there is much ore to be gained by creating cultural setting that are not bound by earthly reality -- you can have an arabian nights style adventure in a world colored by a blend of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Architecture, a blend of Victorian and 1940's fashion, and Using ancient weapons from the 1100s to the 1400s. The cultures can draw from elements of Incan, Sea People, and Modern Greece, creating a new, fresh, and distinct tapestry that is far more immersive.

Settling your flying carpet down outside the pagoda where the Isangoma calls to the loa so you can fid out just where exactly that ancient idol's head is can be a lot more interesting, and a lot less of a problem.

Quote from AEDorsay >>

Quote from Ophidimancer >>

You know what would be a neat exercise? Translating D&D classes into their wuxia equivalents. Now I'm talking specifically wuxia here, I'm not trying to do a pan-Asian translation.

Artificers would be those people who practice their cultivation through their craft. Or perhaps those lower cultivation warriors who collect talismans and potions to supplement their fighting.
Barbarians would be those who cultivate styles that are bestial or more terrestrial, rather than very esoteric.
Bards feel like they would take the role of either the entertainers with secret cultivation or maybe the super esoteric styles of cultivation that would allow fighting with music and instruments, a la Kung Fu hustle or The Untamed.
Clerics are interesting because the healers in wuxia are usually separate from the characters who invoke the gods, but there is room for both. Qi healing is very common in wuxia. As for invoking the gods as 2024 Clerics can do by default at a certain level, both Imperial Sages calling on the Heavenly bureaucracy as well as Taoist sorcerers do some of that.
Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcerers, Druids for that matter are kind of all there but not as distinct from one another. Just swap wands and component pouches for ceremonial swords and paper talismans and you basically have wuxia versions of all the full casters.
Fighters would probably be your stock standard soldier types that exist in wuxia. Martial artists, but not really cultivators.
Rogues would probably be your sneaky underhanded trope like Jade Fox from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They might have some cultivation, but it might be considered stolen, or perhaps they are from hidden sects that are not considered of good standing.
Paladins I think would actually be very very rare. I think you can find their like in wuxia, but it's only ever super important culture heroes like Lu Bu who are towering examples of culture virtues that they inspire those around them to heroics.
Rangers I think would be kind of almost the same trope as Rogues except less dishonorable and more just loners by choice. Usually the trope would be a former cultivator or soldier who has decided to just live away from the politics and has a lot of practical skills but isn't aiming for the martial peak.
Monks would be the folk who actually are members of the respectable cultivator sects. Those who are aiming for the martial peak.

 

 
So, I want to pause you for a moment as you head down this path. Only to demonstrate something, and not as a personal attack or denigration.

Take a look at how the approach used went: Something from one culture was taken, and made it try to fit another culture. 

This may not be how you saw it. This is the most common way to do this, and doing so is not a uniquely western thing. But let me describe why. 

At the very center of all of this lies the concept of Archetypes. There are only three "universal archetypes" in this sense of the concept: Outcast, Warrior, and Magic-User.

Note that to any of them, you can attach any kind of cultural variety you would like. It is Magic-User, no Wizard or Cleric, because depending on the culture and the way they see magic, there may be no division between religion and magic, o there may be a division and that exists along lines of morality. It is Outcast, not Rogue, because the way that western cultures perceive the rogue is not the same way that other cultures perceive the rogue.

Next, note how although you framed it within Wuxia and took that as your premise, you attached to all of them some aspect of Wuxia martial artistry.

Mmm, many but not all. Notice that I refer to "cultivators" and "cultivation" which is pretty central to the wuxia fantasy genre. The idea of qi cultivation is usually, but not always, used in regards to martial arts. I would say that most of the heroes and villains of wuxia are qi cultivators of some sort, but sometimes that manifests as things other than armed or unarmed fighting. And then also most of the full casters I don't refer to as cultivators at all because I'm very aware that magic in wuxia is usually contrasted with cultivation practices.

So no, I did not make all of them martial artists.

And are you thinking of the jianghu when you're talking about Outcasts? Because I do feel like Rangers, Barbarians, and Rogues would be the ones who more closely fit the stereotypical jianghu as opposed to the more imperial high society type. Oh probably Druids, too.

And yes, there are characters in wuxia who are not cultivators, martial artists, or magical in any way. The figures of political or emotional importance who sometimes tag along with the warrior and the sages. It's just that these do not a good D&D Player Character make. These characters exist in most media as well .. hostages, children, spouses, bystanders, etc. They are NPC's. By and large in the wuxia fantasy genre the protagonists and antagonists have some level of competence and qi cultivation is wuxia's most common measure of competence in a character.

To add to what Elgate said, the idea of hiring “an Asian” is pretty absurd. There are a lot of Asian countries and even more ethnicities who live within those countries. 
I give tsr a little credit for bringing in the Japanese playtesters, and I’m sure they were helpful. Considering the time, it was actually kind of forward thinking. But a Japanese person isn’t necessarily going to be much help when the culture is meant to be Chinese, or Korean, or Hmong, and so on.

If they were to try and update it, I think they don’t do an “Asian” book, instead pick one culture and just go with it. Feudal Japan, Joseon Korea, Tang dynasty China, etc. Much how Theros is basically mythological Greece, but doesn’t try to also be Ancient Rome or Persia. Something like that. Take one culture for a deep dive instead of superficial versions of a half dozen of them.

Other point is if a "jianghu" D&D setting should add something like the "spirit-realm", a transitive plane like the Shadowfell or the Feywild, but with its own style. The spirit realm or spirit world can't be only an astral domain or a reskin of the Feywild. 

With the right design the hengeyokai could be a popular PC specie because the "kemonomimi" (= animal-ears) are very loved in the manganime fiction, but we should remember in the design the ears shouldn't be on the top of the head because the ear canal can't be too vertical.(L-shape or diagonal maybe?)

Korobokuru can't be only a reskin of previous PC species. The racial traits may need a redesign if they are too focused to fight against certain type of enemies. 

Different societies have got their own criteria about what should be allowed or banned. Here there may be a serious risk of unintentional offenses by fault of some sad misunderstanding. In the name of the good sense I ask to try the diplomacy to avoid bad vibes.

A disclaimer paragraph could be added "This book has been written with the utmost respect for the cultures from other regions. Any possible offence will be accidental and unintentional" or like this.

Kamigawa, the plane of Magic: the Gathering wasn't be designed to be a D&D setting. This needs more worldbuilding work to allow more space for different type of plots and parallel stories with other groups of characters. 

Some names of subclasses or archetypes could be changed to be not too linked with specific culture (for example "devout serviceman" instead "sohei"). The intention would be these could be used in different type of settings. 

* My advice is allowing space for future classes, specially those with some special mechanics, like incarnum meldshapers, martial adepts and psionic mystics.

* We haven't to follow the same way. For example, to explain this, if in my house we can cook something like Yangzhou fried rice but we use olive oil instead soybean oil. This doesn't mean it was wrong but only we would rather a different style. If your tabletop you should be totally free to create a "chop-suey" setting, mixing things from different cultures. This shouldn't be a disrespect. 

* If WotC doesn't hurry to create a new jianghu+isekai IP then the players will recycle lore from other franchises. The manga is very popular and specially the isekai subgenre but we should take adventage before this wave ended.

Given that bottom-of-the-barrel franchises are already being scraped for isekai anime, I'm pretty sure that the wave it on its way out.  If a gaming group wants to run an isekai game it's easy to add as an element to an existing D&D campaign.  It's not worth WotC chasing a fad that's already got a bad reputation for being only about protagonists who are given superpowers and a harem just for existing.

Quote from 6thLyranGuard >>

Given that bottom-of-the-barrel franchises are already being scraped for isekai anime, I'm pretty sure that the wave it on its way out.  If a gaming group wants to run an isekai game it's easy to add as an element to an existing D&D campaign.  It's not worth WotC chasing a fad that's already got a bad reputation for being only about protagonists who are given superpowers and a harem just for existing.

There are like 6 new isekai anime this season alone and we aren't even talking about the litrpg market, which is flooded.  While I agree about the perception of the anime, you are far from correct on the "on the way out" remark.

 I mean, for the isekai genre in particular I think a major hurdle is that D&D basically already is isekai. Literally for a lot of us D&D is the thing we do to step away from the unfulfilling parts of our daily lives and experience life in a fantasy world where we can do unbelievable things like cast magic spells or afford to travel. I'm not saying it's impossible, but for me the concept of integrating isekai into D&D feels redundant.

That aside, I would love love love to see a product that revisits the Radiant Citadel or an idea like it to introduce a handful of settings inspired by a variety of Asian cultures. And of course it should replicate what Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel did with tapping authors who hail from, understand, and want to lovingly pay tribute to those cultures.

The 80s cartoon was practically an isekai. Legendlore by Onyx Path is a true isekai in the sense the PCs are from our "real world". Urban Arcana in d20 Modern was a reverse isekai. But we should remember the isekai genre is not a fantasy jidaigeki (or the subgenre chanbara). The fantasy worlds from isekai genre show cultures with a Western look. The audience or readers would rather stories set in a different places, creating the feeling you travel to a far country. For example somebody living a little town would be interested into stories set in big cities with futuristic tall buildings, and somebody living in a big city would be interested into stores where the characters are small populations near nature. (I hope me to can explain it in a right way, sorry if my words cause some misunderstanding). A new setting could be created, with two continents, one with Western artistic style and the other more close to Asian cultures, and two continent more being explored and settled by the previous. Or it could be two or more worlds within a "wildspace". 

Some things from isekai subgenre are radically different from D&D style, for example the balance of power, the leveling up mechanics, or the protagonist group where the MC is the leader doing all the work while the rest are practically his sidekicks and.... other type of tropes. 

Now the strategy in 5ed is all the main crunch should can be used in the rest of settings. This means no new class will be created to be exclusive for only one setting. 

* There is space for a "slayer" class, like a monster/witch hunter, a mixture of stealth class with a little touch divine magic like mixing "Assasin's Creed" and "Castlevania". Maybe the name "avenger" would be better. I miss something like the manga characters Naruto Uzamaki or Karasu Tengu Kabuto. 

* The classic mythology and folkore shouldn't the only source of inspiration but everybody wants to drink from other influences, for example the tokusatsu subgenres (henshin, metal heroes or kaiju). A tokusatsu D&D setting could be useful to recover characters and creatures from no-so-popular IPs.